How exactly does EverSleep track your snoring?

So you're wondering exactly how EverSleep detects snoring.. and is this some kind of NSA stuff?

While EverSleep snore detection does use the built-in microphone on your device, it never records any audio files.. you are sleeping so that would be kind of weird! Instead, each minute EverSleep analyzes the audio and tries to make a determination if the sounds from that minute are "snoring" versus other ambient sounds.

From a technical standpoint, we bandpass the incoming audio from 2-3 HZ, and then decimate the 8 KHz sample down to 1 KHz - then look for threshold violations after some automatic gain control. For example, a fan with a "steady" sound will not be counted as snoring, The same is true for things like an occasional dog bark, passing car etc. However, it can be fooled by some sounds, a TV, radio, conversations, another person in the room snoring, etc.

No Snore Measurements

The snore screen should show some purple vertical "bars" throughout the night. We do not store sounds like other apps, because we believe this could become a privacy issue. Each vertical bar indicates a single minute during the evening when your snore sounds exceeded the threshold.

If you are showing NO snoring during the night, there could be a few causes;

1. Maybe you are not snoring! Light snoring is OK, EverSleep is calibrated to a snore "loudness" that could indicate disturbed breathing.

2. Perhaps you have not allowed the app to have access to the microphone? In both iOS and Android you can go into a settings screen, and allow apps individually to have access to the microphone.

3. The phone could be positioned too far away during the night. Do you have a night stand close to your bed? That would be the best place.

4. EverSleep "subtracts" background noises before it processes the snore sounds. So, if you have a fan, humidifier, or white noise machine nearby, those could be masking the snore noises. Remember, if you or a loved one is snoring it could be a sign of a more serious sleep disorder, but EverSleep can offer personalized coaching tips and suggestions to help.

We hope this helps! Sleep Well.